


Shards of Clay

by hyxcinthus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), alone they aren't himbos, but combined they are the biggest himbos in the world, just dumb boys being dumb, no beta we die like men, tea shop au but it's not westernized
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26243413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyxcinthus/pseuds/hyxcinthus
Summary: This time when he walked in, he strode right up to the counter where Zuko sat. He looked bored. It was a slow day. Two people sat at their respective tables, drinking the tea they ordered. Zuko looked about ready to fall asleep. Though, he perked up when he saw Sokka come in. Sokka tried his best to quell the butterflies that erupted in his stomach.Sokka grinned as he leaned against the counter. Zuko rolled his eyes, but the small smile on his face told Sokka he quite liked the attention. “Zuko,” he greeted.“Sokka,” Zuko said back. “The usual?”“Yes, please.”
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 207





	Shards of Clay

Sokka loved going to the Jasmine Dragon any time he was in the Ba Sing Se. He loved the water tribe, but their tea wasn’t nearly as good as the tea sold by Iroh. And if he got to flirt with the only other employee there, that was a plus. 

The first time he’d gone there, he almost forgot how to speak as the boy’s golden eyes bore into him. Not because he was intimidated, but because they were the most beautiful eyes Sokka had ever seen. Later, after he’d managed to stutter out his order, he overheard Iroh chastise the boy. 

“You need to stop glaring down our customers, Nephew,” Iroh said in the gentlest voice Sokka had ever heard while reprimanding someone. 

“I can’t exactly control it.” 

“Try this. Imagine you are in a meadow with a beautiful girl—” 

“I don’t like girls,” the boy mumbled. Sokka wasn’t trying to eavesdrop before, but that had certainly caught his attention. 

“A beautiful boy then,” Iroh amended. “And you are drinking a nice, warm cup of tea.” 

“That sounds like your happy place more than mine.” 

Iroh put a comforting hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Then you must find one of your own. You can live in it for a moment, but you must always come back to reality.” 

The next time he came in, he found out the boy’s name was Zuko. It was written in beautiful loops on his name tag. Sokka wondered if he’d written it himself. He looked up at Zuko’s face. Last time, he was completely focused on the boy’s eyes, but that time he’d noticed his other features. The scar that covered a good portion of his face. The hair that ruffled slightly as a breeze came in through an open window. 

Sokka gave his order, a little more confidently than the last time he’d come in. His heart nearly melted when he saw Zuko’s mouth twitch up the smallest bit. 

This time when he walked in, he strode right up to the counter where Zuko sat. He looked bored. It was a slow day. Two people sat at their respective tables, drinking the tea they ordered. Zuko looked about ready to fall asleep. Though, he perked up when he saw Sokka come in. Sokka tried his best to quell the butterflies that erupted in his stomach. 

Sokka grinned as he leaned against the counter. Zuko rolled his eyes, but the small smile on his face told Sokka he quite liked the attention. “Zuko,” he greeted. 

“Sokka,” Zuko said back. “The usual?” 

“Yes, please.” Sokka paid and took his regular seat. As he waited, more customers came in. He looked over at Zuko to see him frantically making orders and placing them on a tray, watching carefully to where the person went to sit. Sokka knew that Zuko had a bit of a righteous streak. He could’ve called for his uncle’s help at any time, but he chose to stick it out by himself. Sokka didn’t know what he was trying to prove. 

Sokka sensed the disaster before he saw it. He saw the utter concentration in Zuko’s face as he carried the tray of tea. He saw his hands start to shake. He heard the rattle of the cups. Then, in slow motions, the cups fell and shattered on the ground. A few people gasped. The rest stared as Zuko’s face turned redder and redder by the second. 

Sokka jumped to his feet and walked over. Zuko looked up from the mess once Sokka crouched down. “I got this,” he whispered through clenched teeth. 

“I know,” Sokka said. “But I’d like to help anyway.” 

Zuko didn’t protest as Sokka started picking up the shards of clay that were scattered on the floor. He put them on the tray, following Zuko’s lead. Zuko breathed heavily, not meeting Sokka’s eye. Sokka wanted to reach out and hug him. 

Just as he had the impulse, he felt a sharp pain on his palm. When he looked down, he saw that one of the shards had cut through his skin. Zuko looked up from the floor once he registered that Sokka had stopped. 

“Agni,” he whispered. Quickly, Zuko put the remaining shards onto the tray and stood, holding out a hand to help Sokka up as well. When Sokka reached up, Zuko pulled away. He let out an exasperated sigh. “Other hand, genius.” 

Sokka looked down and realized he was holding out his bloodied hand. He felt dizzy as he watched the red trickle down his forearm. Zuko got impatient. He bent down to grab hold of Sokka’s uninjured hand and hauled him up. Sokka barely registered where Zuko was taking him until he was face to face with Iroh. Sokka gave him a sheepish grin. 

“I’m sorry about the cups, Uncle,” Zuko said. “I need to wrap his hand. Here are the orders that I ruined.” He gave Iroh a slip of paper. 

“You haven’t ruined anything, Zuko,” he said with a soft smile. Even though the smile wasn’t directed at him, Sokka felt warmth bloom in his chest. “I will go remake these.” He gave Zuko a pointed look before walking out of the room. The back room, Sokka came to understand. 

Zuko had him sit while he rummaged through the drawers, probably looking for some first aid supplies. 

“I’m sorry,” Zuko said quietly as he gently wiped the blood from Sokka’s hand. 

“For what? I was the one who wasn’t paying attention while handling sharp objects,” Sokka retorted. 

“You wouldn’t have been handling them if I hadn’t dropped the cups in the first place.” 

“I volunteered to help. Really, this is all on me.” Sokka grinned. Zuko shook his head. He finished wrapping up Sokka’s hand and examined the bandages to make sure no blood was seeping through. 

“So…” Sokka started. All of a sudden his confidence from earlier dwindled into nothing. Somehow flirting with Zuko in a poorly lit room where no one else could see them felt more daunting. More personal. 

Zuko met his eyes. Sokka felt his breath hitch. The gold was somehow brighter here. They seemed to produce a light of their own. “Yes?” Zuko asked, urging him on. 

“I—” 

Before Sokka could get another word out, Iroh came back into the room with two cups of tea. He handed one to Sokka and one to Zuko. Zuko started to protest, that he should go back out and take orders. 

Iroh put out a hand to stop him. “I closed the shop early. I figured we had enough excitement for one day.” 

Zuko looked down into his tea, shame written on her face. 

“You need to be kinder to yourself, Nephew. Allow yourself to rest for today. I’ll clean up and manage the store for tomorrow.” 

“But—” Zuko began. 

Iroh cut him off. “It’s alright. You deserve a break.” His eyes darted between Sokka and his nephew. “Maybe you’ll find something fun to do.” 

He left before Zuko could say anything else. They drank their tea in comfortable silence. Once they were done, Zuko walked Sokka to the door. 

“Um,” Zuko said then shoved a piece of paper in his direction. “Here.” He went to close the door, but not before stuttering out. “I’ll, um, I’ll see you.” 

Sokka watched as the other boy walked deeper into the tea shop, shoulders hunched, a hand rubbing the back of his neck. Once he was out of view, Sokka unfolded the paper. A wide grin spread across his face when he read it. 

_Meet me here after lunch tomorrow. We can go for a walk. Maybe grab a drink somewhere that isn’t here._

_— Zuko_


End file.
